Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Profiling of the Placenta in a Dexamethasone-Induced Cleft Palate Rabbit Model

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q4 DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Birth Defects Research Pub Date : 2025-03-29 DOI:10.1002/bdr2.2467

Lanling Lin, Mianxing Wei, Xiao Luo, Chong Zhang, Bingshuai Jing, Jue Wang, Bing Shi, Meng Gong, Chenghao Li

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Cleft palate is a congenital malformation influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Although environmental contributors have been extensively studied, the placenta—an essential organ that mediates maternal–fetal interactions and offers protection against environmental insults—remains poorly understood in this context. This study aimed to explore transcriptomic and metabolomic alterations in the placenta following maternal exposure to corticosteroids, using a dexamethasone-induced cleft palate rabbit model.

Methods

Untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses were conducted on placental and amniotic fluid samples from fetuses with and without dexamethasone-induced cleft palate. Histopathological examination was performed to assess structural abnormalities in the placenta.

Results

The cleft palate group exhibited marked placental pathologies, including fibrosis, calcification, and necrosis. Transcriptomic analysis identified 4744 differentially expressed genes, enriched in pathways related to hormone signaling, vascular development, and inflammation. Metabolomic profiling revealed significant changes in both placenta and amniotic fluid, especially in the urea cycle, aspartate metabolism, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. The urea cycle was particularly disrupted in the cleft palate group.

Conclusion

These findings reveal a strong association between placental structural and functional abnormalities and cleft palate formation in the dexamethasone-induced model, offering novel insights into the potential role of the placenta in cleft palate pathogenesis.

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来源期刊

Birth Defects Research Medicine-Embryology

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

9.50%

发文量

153

期刊介绍： The journal Birth Defects Research publishes original research and reviews in areas related to the etiology of adverse developmental and reproductive outcome. In particular the journal is devoted to the publication of original scientific research that contributes to the understanding of the biology of embryonic development and the prenatal causative factors and mechanisms leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes, namely structural and functional birth defects, pregnancy loss, postnatal functional defects in the human population, and to the identification of prenatal factors and biological mechanisms that reduce these risks. Adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes may have genetic, environmental, nutritional or epigenetic causes. Accordingly, the journal Birth Defects Research takes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach in its organization and publication strategy. The journal Birth Defects Research contains separate sections for clinical and molecular teratology, developmental and reproductive toxicology, and reviews in developmental biology to acknowledge and accommodate the integrative nature of research in this field. Each section has a dedicated editor who is a leader in his/her field and who has full editorial authority in his/her area.